Beware of BioWare!

[nando2002]

I think it's more related to statistic than in user control/software limitations.
It's a must for every company try to keep their customers happy, what better way to know your customers than check in when they play.
How many times they log and how long they stay logged.
If many customers stop login for a long period after being logged almost every day (ABC Stats) they can give something to catch their atention again (more maps, mod kit, news, etc. ) and makes them play again often.

This option (Login Autentication) is marketing behind.
Take a look at Relic (Company of Heroes), when they see less people online they create a custom map competition 1 or 2 per year until they launch a new game. Simple but efficient.

In the other hand... they must provide a way to play the game without log in - case you want to play it in the middle of nowhere without net connection or the server are down.